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See Spot Run. Grrr.

On a recent morning, a fire-haired woman named Jean Meinecke walked a Doberman pinscher named Smokey to Juniper Valley Park, a 55-acre spread of grassy knolls and athletic fields in the low-key enclave of Middle Village, Queens. Then off came Smokey's leash, and off went Smokey, charging into a fray of free-range dogs. "She's very good with other dogs and people," her owner said proudly.

But Smokey's scampering days at the park may be numbered. A Queens homeowners group wants to end an informal 20-year policy under which the city has allowed dogs in parks to be off their leashes from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.

According to Robert Holden, president of the group, the policy has led to a plague of dog attacks. "I was attacked," he said. "I've seen other people who were attacked. I get letters from people saying, 'I can't go in the park.' "

Tatiana Grant, who was bitten on the leg by an unleashed sheepdog when she was in the park two years ago, choked up when she recalled the attack. "I have an obvious scar on my leg," she said. "And still no action has been taken."

Ms. Grant, as well as many dog owners, would like to see the park outfitted with a fenced-off dog run. In that way, the Parks Department could restrict all leash-free activities to the runs, as it does in a number of other parks. Warner Johnston, a department spokesman, said that such an arrangement "is something we are willing to explore."

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He said his association would welcome a dog run in a less heavily trafficked part of the neighborhood, and even recommended a few specific locations to the Parks Department, including several vacant properties near the Long Island Rail Road and a sloping abutment alongside the Long Island Expressway.

Some dog owners scoff at these sites. "I want to go by the railroad tracks?" said John LaCanfora, who has a beagle. "I pay taxes. I want to enjoy this park also."

Ms. Meinecke agreed. "Have some respect here!" she said. "You're going to give us a dog run, but you're going to give us a piece of property in the middle of nowhere?"

As Ms. Meinecke spoke, Smokey loped about on the far side of a footpath, now and then pricking up her ears at the sound of something scurrying through the grass. Ms. Meinecke acknowledged that Smokey was probably hunting squirrels, but insisted the dog was a model of the well-behaved pet. "She was the valedictorian of her training school," she said.

SAKI KNAFO

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A version of this article appears in print on April 2, 2006, on Page 14014007 of the National edition with the headline: NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: MIDDLE VILLAGE; See Spot Run. Grrr. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe